Tito Hernández warns about the risks of eliminating the decree that protects rice production
The president of the National Association of Agricultural Professionals (ANPA), Tito Hernández, has expressed his deep concern regarding the possibility of repealing Decree 693-24. According to the leader, eliminating this measure without implementing strategic alternatives would jeopardize the rice self-sufficiency of the Dominican Republic and the stability of thousands of local producers.
Hernández emphasized that the country does not currently have the necessary conditions to face a full market opening with the United States. In his view, the last two decades should have been used to strengthen the sector through the modernization of irrigation systems, the technification of processes, greater investment in research, and the improvement of agricultural financing mechanisms.
The impact of DR-CAFTA and national protection
The controversy arises from the United States’ demand to annul the aforementioned decree, arguing that it limits access to the Dominican market established under DR-CAFTA. Currently, the decree allows for the entry of 23,300 metric tons of U.S. rice at zero tariff, while any surplus is subject to a 99% tariff.
The figures support the importance of this sector in the national economy:
- More than 30,000 producers depend directly on this activity.
- The sector generates an economic impact of over RD$45 billion annually.
- There is a latent risk of increased agricultural debt and a reduction in planted areas due to unequal competition.
The position of the ANPA must be clear: we are not against trade or compliance with international agreements. We are against sacrificing the Dominican producer to pay the consequences of twenty years of lack of preparation.
Tito Hernández, president of the ANPA
Dialogue and solutions proposal
Given this scenario, the agricultural leader urged President Luis Abinader to convene a national rice roundtable. This space would seek to integrate the Government, producers, academics, and banking entities to conduct an independent study on the socioeconomic effects of a trade opening and to seek transition mechanisms that protect national production.
For his part, the Dominican president recently confirmed that the Government is maintaining a negotiation process with U.S. authorities, focusing on the terms of the trade agreement. However, no definitive details have yet been offered as to whether Decree 693-24 will be modified or repealed in the short term.
